Bloodlines
by Psion230
Summary: The story of Arcenel Medici, the one son of Lorenzo Medici that has been forgotten. After a brutal betrayal fourteen years in the past, the rise of a new skullgirl causes him to awaken once more. With friends, old and new, he has vowed to find his family and get some questions answered. First person from perspective of OC Rated T for language/situations
1. Prologue

New Meridian, a city full all walks of life, be it a humble pedestrian walking along the sidewalk or the influential Medici Family. Our tale, however, doesn't start at the unmistakable Medici Tower or at the corner cafe. Instead, it starts at the local dump.

This landfill is separated into segments, which the town's brave garbage-people drop off trash belonging to various facilities around the city. One segment, however, is fairly empty. Lab Zero's section. One could assume they never need to dispose of their creations, for they work as intended, or failures are destroyed and used for parts for other abominations. The reason it is not completely empty, is for a lone box with various warnings painted onto it's face. Biohazard, Radioactive, Acidic, Flammable, Fragile. Any warning that could be applied to something in a crate was plastered onto it. No one has peered inside the box, for whatever horror that Lab Zero needed to dispose of could not be healthy to look at.

Oddly enough, what lies inside may just be what New Meridian needs, just not what it wants.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1- How things change.

[12:06 PM]

A literal splitting headache wracks my mind, and an odd humming sound resonates through my skull.

"Where on earth is that dreadful noise coming from...?" I sleepily ask, receiving no real response outside of the humming becoming far more potent. Opening my eyes, I see nothing but darkness, but pushing forward yields a different conclusion. Wood. Moving a bit, I realize it is a box that I'm currently locked within.

"A box. I'm locked inside a- why am I in a box?" I ask, pushing forward, receiving a groan of the wood giving under my strength, "The great Arcenel Medici, stuck in some forsaken box!" With a powerful shove, the back of the box breaks open, causing me to pop out and land unceremoniously upon my face. A flash from the pain and the sudden brightness blinds me momentarily, and I raise my hand to attempt to block out the sunlight. Upon doing so, I discover my usually fair skin is gray and purple with bruising.

"Why is... oh yeah. I was at Madame Contiello's birthday celebration... then that vile Black Dahlia showed up." I take a second to glance about my surroundings, "Why am I in a dump?" Moving myself into a standing position and dusting myself off, I felt a tug on the back of my arms. Flipping my arm over reveals a strange pipe-like thing emerging from my skin and running down my arm towards my back. Pulling the strange device results in myself growing lightheaded, so I just let it sit where it is.

"Guess that would explain how I'm alive right now, considering I still have Dahlia's 'Parting Gift'." grabbing at my chest where my heart would be located, results in my hand and the clothing I currently have on sinking through the hole. Taking a deep breath of the somewhat smelly air, I look towards the town. A large tower looms in the skyline, rolling my shoulders I walk towards the city with but a thought in my mind.

_I need to find Alberto, he'll know what happened._

[5:38 PM]

When I awoke, it was a little after noon, but making my way out of the almost impossibly large dump took a large portion of time. By the time I stepped out of the gate, it was nearing night. _I hope being undead means I don't need sleep. I highly doubt I will be able to find a place willing to let me in with no currency. _Looking around, I see a garden hose in a backyard of someone's home. Sneaking over, I quickly turn on the water and hose myself off, to remove a portion of the grime climbing out of the dump had given me. A few seconds later, I finished and got away before I was caught for trespassing. The clothing I was wearing was pretty much ruined, but a little while in the spring heat should dry them off.

"Now... where would the best place be to start my search?" I asked, looking around. Noticing a small cafe with a few patrons inside, I glanced at the name. Madman's Cafe.

_I don't remember the name, but the location seems... familiar. Was this my usual milkshake joint? _Walking up to the cafe, everything seemed normal.

_Ah, they do have milkshakes! That girl over there seems to enjoy the one she has... with two straws? Oh well... guess everyone has their moments._ An older man was watching the girl, and he seemed familiar.

A waitress approached me, "Can I get ya anything, hun?"

"No thanks, I'm just looking for someone," I replied, I knew I didn't have any money, and I didn't want to waste her time.

"You sure? You seem like you been locked up for a year," she said with a bit of jest in her voice.

With a scoff, "You don't know the half of it. Are the restrooms for paying customers only?"

"Help yourself," she said with a wave, and she left for the back of the store. I walked to the restroom, and noticed the sign signaling Unisex. With a small sigh, I walked inside and looked in the mirror. My blonde hair was now a filthy brown. My blue eyes had become... lifeless, the crystal blue was now a dull gray. My face wasn't as bruised as my arms, instead it was still my paled skin, with a hint of gray. Other features, such as sunken eyes and pale gums were present. At a glance I didn't look undead, but placing my hand over my gift reminded me that I was. No one gets a hole where their heart goes and lives. I took the chance to inspect the device upon my back, but I had to lift my shirt to see it, for it was located under the clothing. The machine was a small white box, that didn't really seem cumbersome, and had five wire-like pipes leading into it, one for each limb and another that went directly into my spine. Picking slightly at a limb pipe, I lost a bit of feeling in the corresponding limb. The box itself was attached to what I can only assume to be my spine, and made of a strange rubbery material. Etched on the surface of it was a picture of a cartoon heart, with a skull's likeness on it. Over the whole thing was a generic crossed circle.

_Where have I seen this before... I feel like I should know._ I lowered my shirt and began to rinse my face off. While doing so, I heard the door open of the restroom. Looking up, I saw it was the girl who was enjoying the milkshake from earlier.

"Oh I'm sorry, didn't know someone was in here," she said as she backed up.

I shook my head, "It's fine, ma'am. I was finishing up anyway." Shaking the water off of my hands I gave her a nod as I walked out of the room. Giving a wave to the waitress as I passed her, I walked out of the store.

_Something about that girl... seemed familiar. I must be going crazy... I need some help._ As I walked away from the cafe, I heard the door bust open, and the girl from before was running away, sans hat, which she was wearing when she went into the restroom and at the bar. Upon her head, where the hat would have been, was something akin to a pair of eyes and a row of teeth. Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to follow from a distance.

[6:08 PM]

She finally stopped at a fountain, near the large casino in town.

_Now that I remember, the River King Casino. _Her hair seemed to move a bit and I swear pointed in my direction. She instantly turned around and glared at me.

"Why are you following me?" she questioned, the two yellow slices on her head pointed in my direction.

"Hard to not get curious when you go stomping out of a cafe with half a milkshake on the counter," I said with an even tone, "I was worried that something happened to you."

"Yeah, well it's none of your business!" a gruff voice said, as I glanced about for the source, her hair moved some more, "We don't need any help from some weirdo who looks like he's kicked the bucket!"

"Samson! Shush!" she said, giving her hair a slap. "I appreciate the concern, but Samson does have a point, we don't need any assistance."

"Well, that wasn't the only thing. You seem familiar to me, and I was wanting to ask you some things," I admitted, and her hair shifted to cover her.

"Kid, that's a telltale sign of a creep, lets get him before he gets us!" Samson yelled, and the girl got into a fighting stance.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Getting somewhere

[6:15 PM]

As the girl charged at me, I felt a jolt from my back and everything got a little more vibrant. The colored sign from the casino shone brighter, the lamp posts bathed nearly the entire square in light, when before they barely filled a three foot radius around them. She grew closer, and things slowed down slightly. With a sudden jerk, my hand caught her fist, and I felt the pipe jut out of my skin and it dashed forward and stabbed her. As the world sped up, I shoved her back and she tripped up and fell over, only to be pushed back up by her hair.

_What... what was that? _Before I could ponder more, she came at me again.

This time her hair allowed her to lean back, and it launched her forward to deliver a solid kick that I wasn't able to stop. The force knocked me backwards into a wall of a building. I felt another surge of energy and my right arm began to grow hot and tingly.

As she ran over to me, she rolled into a spiked ball of her hair to close the gap. Once she got out of it, I socked her with my right arm. She stood there for a second making gargling sounds as her hair got all spiked up from electricity. While she was like that, I shoulder charged her causing her to snap out of her shocked state, and her hair grabbed me and tossed me behind her.

I hopped back up and ran at her this time, my legs becoming electrical like my arms. As I closed in on her, I dropped down and slid forward, leaving arcing lightning in my wake. As she jumped to avoid it, she landed in the arc and was stunned again.

Deciding this tussle was unnecessary, I went to her, and grabbed her hair. _This doesn't feel like hair at all, more like frayed rubber! _I pried open the mouth on the back of her hair and shoved the rubber tendrils into the mouth and closed it.

"Now that that's taken care of, let me introduce myself. I am Arcenel Medici, but please call me Arcee," I said as I sat her down on a bench, which I sat upon myself.

She sniffled, "M-my name's Filia."

"Filia..." I said hollowly, thinking for a second. "Who are your parents?"

"I cant remember... all I know is my name is Filia and he's Samson," she said, still teary.

I covered my hand with my sleeve and wiped her face from the tears, "I'm sorry, Filia. I've just... been away for some time." A retch and a cough later, Samson's mouth was mostly empty of himself.

"Eugh," he grumbled, "I taste terrible." A few minutes passed in silence, she wasn't crying anymore, but she still seemed sad. Samson would occasionally look at me, and open and close his mouth, trying to dislodge a few stray hairs. I reached over and helped him out, to which he continued to grumble but didn't stop me.

"So, Arcee, what are you?" Filia asked, trying to start up conversation.

With a slight sigh, I shook my head, "I'm trying to find that out myself. All I know is that I shouldn't be here right now." She gave me a curious look, "I was killed... I don't know how long ago. At a party for a close friend's mother," I raised a hand to the hole in my chest, and she watched as I was able to shove nearly my whole hand into it. "For some reason, I woke up today with this thing on my back, I'm quite positive it's what's keeping me alive, but why I need to be alive is what I don't know."

"When did you die? You seem pretty preserved," she asked as she observed my hands.

"I... I don't remember..." I held my head in my hands, "I guess I've shut that memory out." Looking up at the casino sign, I cracked a smile, "Come on, we gotta get some answers, for both of us." She nodded and walked alongside me. We headed into the casino, if it really was as it was before, I should be able to get some funding from my old reserves.

The sound of smooth jazz, clinking glasses, and slot machines filled the main room. I made my way to an ATM that they had for patrons who desired to gamble more money away. Punching in my old account info, I received a troubling message.

"'Account Closed?' Who closed it!?" I nearly shouted, slamming a fist dejectedly on the machine. Turning around, I noticed Filia and Samson giving me an odd look. "My bank account is closed. Lets get out of here." Leaving the casino, I observed the streets, feeling slightly distressed.

"Is everything okay?" Filia asked, and I shook my head.

"No, New Meridian has changed so much. I don't know where anything is. Do you know where the bank is?" I asked her, to which she gave me a look. "What? Oh, right. Amnesia." A few blocks down, the large tower I had seen before was there, but it seemed to be smoking. With a shudder of the earth, a large section of the tower lifted up and more fires started. Glancing at my companion, we made our way to inspect the scene.

[6:41 PM]

The large tower was in pieces, the part that lifted up had been tossed somewhere while we were coming over to see what was happening. Multiple coffins and bones littered the ground, and a smell of burnt something lingered in the air.

"Evidence of a Skullgirl," Samson said as he inspected the ground as well.

Rubbing my chin, I inspected some of the blue fire that was floating in the air, "Skullgirl? I've heard of that before, but I don't know where."

Samson 'shrugged', "Just a chick who's all hopped up on dark power and can control the undead, usually causes destruction and chaos." Humming, I looked at the broken sign of the tower. '-ici Tower'.

_The Medici Tower was under construction when I went to that party. It's been some time if it was finished. _As we stayed at the foot of the tower, a sound of paper flapping in the wind broke my concentration. Glancing up, I snapped it out of the air. It was a picture of a girl.

_C-can it be!? That's Mr. and Mrs. Contiello and... Sienna..._

"I think I found our next lead," I said, turning and moving past Filia and Samson.

Samson tried to grab the paper, and Filia looked at it oddly, "What's that?"

"A picture of... an old friend. She was involved at that party. If I cant find Alberto, I'll have to find her," I said as we continued on, following a sign that pointed towards Innsmouth.

_If anyone will have dirt on where a Contiello is, it'll be the Fishbone Gang._

With this in mind, we went off to the small port town south of New Meridian.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Safety dance

[7:48 PM]

The harsh smell of seawater, fish, and crime permeates the air. I move closer to Filia, I know how this part of town is at night.

_Somewhere around here should be a sushi place, if I remember right, that's where the Fishbones would meet up at._

"So what the hell are we doing here anyway?" Samson snapped, clearly unhappy with the salty sea air.

"If anyone knows where she could be, it'll probably be the Fishbone Gang," I said as I looked around for the shop.

Samson laughed, "The Fishbones have been wiped out for a year now! You ain't gonna find shit!" My eye twitched.

"You're telling me this now!?" I snapped, and Samson laughed again.

"Never told us what you were doing, dumbass!"

"But you had to wait until we got here to ask me?"

"Why the fuck would I need to do that? You're the leader here!"

"If you weren't attached to her head..."

"Oh! You wanna go!?"

"STOP!" Filia shouted, interrupting the two of us. "Samson stop taunting him."

"But he started it!" Samson defended, and received a tug on one of the tendrils by Filia, causing his eyes to bug out slightly.

With a sigh and a shake of my head, I walked over to a sushi bar, "I'm just gonna ask for directions to the nearest bank. Might as well get that dealt with." I entered the little restaurant, which was in the process of closing. A small but wide Dagonian was sweeping the store up.

"Hey! It's closing time, we ain't takin' any orders!" he shouted.

"Terribly sorry, but this will take but just a second. Do you know where the nearest bank is?" I asked, not wanting to get on his bad side.

He grunted, "Nearest one is in New Meridian, Innsmouth isn't large enough for its own."

"Thank you, sir, have a nice ni-" I was interrupted by the sound of shouting outside. Looking out the window, I saw Samson yelling at this lady with a snake around her. The snake was getting into a large argument with Filia's parasite. Running outside, I heard the snake's voice, memories flooding as I heard it speak.

[7:51 PM]

"You've gone too far, Samson!" it shouted, and the girl and snake got into a stance, that could be seen as elegant, but also ready to strike.

"Come at me, worm! I'll put you back in the dirt!" Samson taunted, as Filia reluctantly got into her fighting stance. The new girl and snake charged forward, and I felt my limbs fill with electrical pulses. I intercepted the strike at Filia, blocking the strike from hitting myself or my friend.

"Get the hell out of the way Arcee! This is my fight!" Samson shouted.

Ignoring him, I looked at Filia, "Go to the square with the casino, nearest bank is in the city, meet you there!" Filia nodded then ran off.

"Sir, move away so we can teach that leech a lesson!" the snake shouted at me, more memories filling my mind.

Shaking my head, "Can't do that, I need that leech, as much as he annoys me." The two charged at me, and I dodged just out of their way.

_Let's see if this is who I think it is._

I readied a swing, and they twirled out of my path. The two of us continued to exchange blows, however, neither one of us hit the other. We simply danced around the other nearly perfectly.

"There's only one," I paused to jump over the tail of the snake, "Girl I've ever met that can dance like this."

"Oh?" She asked, her voice seeming to echo from the snake, "Who might that be? I could use the dancing partner after we finish this."

With a small chuckle, I smiled at her, "Now that I hear that lovely voice of yours," I jumped over her and stood directly behind her, "It's nice to see you again Sienna, and you too Leviathan."

Leviathan shoved me away, and Sienna dipped backwards and Leviathan tried to strike me with his outstretched tail, but I dipped myself, dodging it narrowly, "And who might you be?" He asked, trying to snap at me.

"I was present at your mother's party, Squigly. We danced for a few minutes before some more unfortunate guests showed up," I replied. Her attacks were getting more varied as she tried to hit me, and it nearly tripped me up.

"Arcenel...," Finally Leviathan was able to grab my arm and held me in front of her. "You," Her eyes narrowed and she scowled, "YOU TRAITOR!" She socked me in the face, casing me to fly backwards. Touching on the wooden dock, I continued to dodge more of her strikes. "Medici scum! You will pay for what you did to us!" She was relentless in her anger, not allowing me to talk. Once she had an opening, I snagged Leviathan's tail and gave a quick tug, causing her to be coiled in his body until she had stopped.

"Look at me Squigly! I too was slain on that night, thanks to that bitch," I said as I gave them a slight shove to put some space between us. I don't want to really fight her, I just want her on my side.

"You look nothing like us, you just seem to be slightly dirty," Leviathan spat, and they uncoiled and charged again, this time she tossed Leviathan's tail at me, instead of dodging it, I let it go through the hole in my chest. As the tail pulled back, it ripped part of my shirt, revealing the bruised, rotted, and dying flesh that made up my torso.

"Am I still a living human? No one gets shot in the heart and lives. You saw the weapon Dahlia was using, it nearly explodes what it touches!" I shouted, and the two of them seemed stunned. "If you would let me just talk to you, like the friend I was, I'll explain everything."

The two of them continued to stare me down, "Speak, you have five minutes," Squigly said, crossing her arms.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- Party crasher

It was a wonderful day. I was visiting the Contiello Manor for the party of Madame Contiello. It was her birthday today, and I had gotten the perfect gift with the help of my friend, Sienna Contiello. Sienna was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Contiello, and was my only real friend. All the other friends I had were only nice cause my father was Lorenzo Medici. Sienna was different, due to being of the same social stature as myself, she was friendly to me cause that was just how she was. Another reason the day was going to be great was because my older brother, Alberto Medici, was going to be in town tonight, and I could see my two year old Niece, who I never had a chance to see until then. I stepped through the front doors of the manor, and the butler of the Contiellos greeted me.

"Hello, young Arcenel, here to see miss Sienna, I assume?" he asked, and I nodded happily. He led me into the ballroom where my friend met me.

"Hi Arcee!" Squigly cheerfully said as I walked in.

Giving a wave, "Hey Squigly, how are you today?"

"I'm doing well, you have a gift for my mother?"

"Of course!" I said happily as I walked over to her parents.

Roberto, Squigly's father, smiled as I walked over, "Greetings Arcenel, how does your brother fare on his travels?"

"He does well, sir. He'll be in town later tonight, and I'll be able to see my young niece for the first time," I replied, and he smiled. From his shoulder, a long white creature emerged.

"Ah, it's been some time since we last met, Arcenel."

"That it has, Leviathan. How do you fare?"

"As well as I could, I suppose. I heard your brother will be returning from his excursion around the world?"

"You heard correctly, now for the reason I am here," I said as I reached into my suit, and pulled out a box. "A gift for Madame Contiello."

She took the box, and gave me a smile, "Oh, you didn't have to give me a gift Arcee. Just seeing you make my dear daughter smile is a gift for me."

I felt my face redden, and I glanced around, noticing Squigly wasn't present, "W-well, I hope you have a pleasant day. Until we meet again." I gave them a slight bow, and went back into the party proper.

Upon arriving, Squigly grabbed my arm, "Lets dance, Arcee." The music currently at the party could be danced to, and a few of the other guests were doing so. With a joking sigh, I began to waltz with her. We continued for two songs, and when we separated, some of the other guests applauded. We walked through the back doors, leading into the garden, where I sat down on a bench. She joined me a few seconds later.

"Is everything okay, Arcee?" she asked, concern painted on her face.

I shook my head slightly, "Have you ever had the feeling that... something was going to go wrong?" She shook her head, and I looked out into the lavish garden, before sighing. "I need to get ready to leave, I must make preparations for my brother's arrival."

"O-okay Arcee, I'll see you later," she said as I got up.

"See you tomorrow, Squigs." I walked over to the foyer of the manor, when the doors leading outside burst open. In walked Black Dahlia, my father's second in command, and a few of her friends.

"Oh, hello Ms. Dahlia, I was just heading home," I told her, and she looked at me, then smiled deviously.

In a playful tone and a smile, "Hey, squirt. We were going to be giving the Contiellos a gift ourselves, come join us." Before I could react, one of her friends grabbed and gagged me.

I struggled slightly before Dahlia held her gun arm at me and told me to stop struggling. As I was tied up, she shoved open the doors to the ball room.

"Hello Contiellos, You have something of the Medici's. We want it back," Dahlia said, then began to open fire into the room. I tried desperately to get free to stop her, but the assassin that was holding me was strong. Glancing around as the firing went on, I noticed a wall ornament with a cast iron spike.

_It might not do much, but it should surprise her long enough... _I pushed backwards as hard as I could towards the ornament, and I succeeded in shoving the assassin into it. Scrabbling at her back, I took off, my legs not being bound. Getting to the banquet table, I used one of the few torches to burn the rope that was binding my hands. As the rope broke away, I ran over to Black Dahlia and yanked on her arm, using the rope for some extra leverage to pull on.

"Gah, fucking kid!" she shouted as she used one of her knives to stab me in the side as she kicked me. "Never liked you, you little shit." She rose her gun to my head, and as I heard the click of the shell priming, I slid forward and knocked her off of her feet. I tried to run off, to try and help Squigly and her family escape, but Dahlia grabbed my leg as I tried to run, then pulled back and knocked me onto my face. One of her assassins grabbed me, as she got up. The assassin held me above the ground so I couldn't try to escape, and Dahlia went around and continued to kill more members of the Contiello family.

"You... you MONSTER!" I shouted, causing Dahlia to turn to look at me, "You'll pay for this!"

She laughed, "Please, what can a little kid like you do to me?" I noticed a bloody Leviathan sliding across the ground.

_Can't let her see him._

"What are you going to do to me then?" I asked, anger causing my voice to remain calm, no matter how nervous I actually was.

"Something I've wanted to do for a long time," she said as she turned back to me and walked over, holding her gun in my direction. The assassin dropped me, then shoved me down to my knees, as Dahlia knelt and held the gun to my chest.

"Any last requests before I add you to the death count here?" she asked, a sneer covering her face.

I spat on her face, "Burn in hell." Everything moved slowly, I saw Leviathan make it over to a door that was open. The click of the round being placed in the chamber, and I saw all of the dead Contiellos. Everything went white as the deafening boom rung out, I felt like I had just been punched in the chest.

I can only assume it's a bit later, an assassin kicked my leg. Too weak to really do anything in response I just sit there, bleeding out.

"What're we gonna do with the kid?"

Dahlia chuckled, "Take the body to Lab Zero, let them experiment on it. A gift from us to that sadistic doctor."

A different assassin walked over, "What do we tell the boss?"

"A Contiello did it. We tried to help, but couldn't stop the killer in time. That'll get Lorenzo's blood boiling," She said, then laughed. My vision grew darker, but I put all of my energy to give Dahlia a piece of my mind, flipping her off as I felt my body shut down.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Connections

[8:01 PM]

I found myself sitting on a bench, once again. Instead of Filia sitting next to me, it was Squigly. She sat in quiet contemplation as I watched the full moon's reflection become warped by the waves, questioning the strange power this device has, for it somehow fixed my shirt, even cleaned it slightly.

"Is... is that all true?" She asked, her voice echoing through Leviathan's body.

"It is. I wouldn't lie to you Squigly. We've both been through some shit together," I said, leaning back.

Leviathan gave me a curious look, "I do wish to know, what was that present you gave Selene?"

Squigly and I smiled, "It was a ring. It had the a string of musical notes upon it's face," I said, a tired expression adorning my face as I reminisced. "I do have a question, why were you getting into an argument with Samson?"

Leviathan scowled, "That ruffian has potentially been sending that poor girl to her doom. I have a sneaking suspicion that he might be the cause of her amnesia."

"Did you two know each other?" I asked, and Leviathan seemed a little somber.

"We've known each other for centuries. I once considered him a friend, but it seems he's changed for the worse."

"Well, why don't we meet up with those two? You sent them to the casino, right?" Squigly asked, to which I nodded.

[8:04 PM]

As we walked to the city, I took the chance to look at how undeath had treated Squigly. Overall, it wasn't unkind to her, while my own rest was much more destructive to my body. Parts of my flesh were clearly rotted/rotting, while Squigly's was mostly preserved, minus a slight spot on her back that seemed like a chunk had been taken out of her. Her mouth, however, surprised me the most.

"Interesting fashion statement, the tied mouth," I jokingly mentioned, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I thought I'd do something new, like with my skeletal hand," she said sarcastically, to which Leviathan gave her an odd look.

"M'lady, that's not a good way to act," he said scoldingly.

I let out a snort, "You never knew her when it was just us two, being refined is good and all, but there needs to be a time to just chill and be like an everyday person."

"I should act more refined, and you should too," Squigly said as she gave me a look.

"I try," I said, which caused both of them to give me a flat stare. "I said I try, doesn't mean I succeed."

Squigly straightened her posture a bit, "So why are we heading to the bank?"

"I've been dead as long as you have been, and I want to get some info. Need money to make lips move," I said plainly.

Leviathan sighed, "You sound like a Medici talking like that."

Shrugging, I continued onward, "It's how I was raised. Nonetheless, I'd like some money to at least get myself something to eat."

"But, you're undead. You shouldn't really get hungry," Squigly said, slowing down slightly.

"I'm feeling hungry, I'm going to eat. I don't know why I hunger, but I'm not going to question it until later."

"Glad to see you haven't changed," Squigly said with a giggle.

"I'm glad to see I haven't changed."

[8:10 PM]

As we approached the plaza with the casino, Filia noticed us and waved. Samson saw who I was with and covered his face with a tendril. They met us in the middle of our path, and I got a chance to look at Filia since she left.

"Oh jeez, Filia, you okay?" I asked her, as I saw various scratches and bruises.

"We're just fine, ran into a little trouble, no thanks to you!" Samson replied angrily, "And you didn't even take care of what we left you with!"

My eye twitched again and I sighed, "Fine, whatever. Come on, lets get my money out of the bank."

"Your money?" Squigly asked, "You've been dead!"

"Banks keep money, I'm just going in to take what belongs to me," I said, walking inside. It was a nice room, above the teller's desk was a large sign with a fancy M on it.

_Ah, the Medici Family insignia. _I walked up with a calm smile on my face, reaching into my pocket to find my wallet, empty of money, but with what I needed, my ID.

"Hello, sir. How can I help you this night?" the teller asked, unsure why a person would be using the bank this late.

"I need to check on something. Earlier I tried to get money out of my account, but it said it was closed, but I didn't close it," I said, and the man seemed relieved.

"Oh, well if that's the case," he said as he typed on his computer, "Do you have your card or anything?"

"I have my ID, if that helps," he looked at the card, then at me, back at the card, then back to me.

"When did you take this picture?" he asked. I knew he would be doubtful. I looked similar to my old self, but just a little off.

I smiled, "When I was sixteen. Sorry if I don't really look like it, I got into a mess earlier. Need some money to stay a hotel and all to clean up."

He nodded, "Social security number, please?" I told him my numbers, and he nodded. A few seconds later, he flinched.

"Sir? It says that the account was closed by Lorenzo Medici," he said, sweating slightly, not realizing a direct Medici was in his presence.

"When?" I asked, and he quickly said fourteen years ago. "Shit," I hit the desk slightly, "This puts a damper on things."

The man began to shiver a bit, "W-well, we d-do need to deliver money to the boss, y-you can take that and a little extra."

I gave him a sly look, "How much is a 'little' extra?"

"It's a total of 70 thousand in Canopy Credits, s-so uh... the extra can be about.. five thousand?" he said fearfully.

"Hmm, that'll do," I said as he relaxed a bit and passed me a case of money, "Thanks for your business." He let out some noise and went back to work, quickly tapping away at the keyboard.

[8:18 PM]

Walking outside with the case, I felt a little better about my standing now. They all looked at me with odd looks, but I ignored my little 'party' and started walking towards the more popular trade district.

"My word! What happened in there?" Leviathan asked as he moved his head around the case, "Is this thing full of money?"

"Apparently my _father _thought it was a good idea to shut off my bank account. It was fourteen years ago when he did that, so I can only assume that's how long it's been since we've been dead. And yes, this is all money," I said lifting the case up, "Turns out that place is run by the Medici's so upon seeing my name, the foolish teller asked if I could deliver this, and in return I get 5k Can. Creds."

Squigly gave me a cross look, "You're going to still work for your father!?"

Laughing, I tossed the case up and caught it again, "Fuck no! This is mine now! I'm gonna use a bit of it to get into my dad's office at a later date, but for now, I got 75 _THOUSAND _bills to play with!"

"That's despicable," Leviathan said looking away, but after a second he laughed a bit, "But I can't say I disapprove. I might not care much for your tone as of late, but this is genius!"

With another chuckle, I continued down the road, "So, who's hungry? We can discuss what to do next over dinner!"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6- Date that never was

[8:57 PM]

In all honesty, I didn't care where we ate. Squigly didn't either, she wasn't really going to eat anything big anyway, and Leviathan wasn't hungry. Then why has it been nearly an hour and we haven't gone anywhere? Filia and Samson.

"I want to go there!" Filia said as she pointed at a place that had some cakes in the window displays, to which Samson made a gagging sound.

"Eugh no, that place doesn't have any booze," he shifted his eyes around, then saw a bar, "Now _THAT'S _what I'm talkin' about!"

Filia gasped, "Ew! No! There's probably all kind of creeps in there!"

"Don't worry kid," Samson said confidently, "We can take 'em!"

"By god... YOU TWO, CHOOSE SOMETHING ALREADY!" Leviathan shouted, causing all of us to flinch. "It's like dealing with children! 'Go here,' 'No go over there!' gah!" Me and Squigly shot him a look, to which he smiled sheepishly. "Except for you two, you were well behaved children, I meant other children."

"Leviathan, we were the only children you really saw," Squigly pointed out, which caused him to stutter, but not get anything out.

I simply shut my eyes, smelled the air, turned and opened my eyes, "We're going here." It was a simple steakhouse.

"They better have sweet things/booze" Filia and Samson said at the same time. I opened the case and pulled out a pair of 50 credit bills, then after shutting it, we walked inside.

[9:01 PM]

With Leviathan hiding in Squigly's head, and Samson doing his 'disguise' (Which was just shutting his eyes and mouth), we got seated fairly easily, despite what Squigly thought with her mouth being stitched like it was. We sat in a way that would hide Leviathan if he wanted out, and Samson could eat easily with me blocking sight of him. We got our menus, I decided to get a basic cut of steak and a fountain drink, Squigly ordered a burger and a cream soda, and Filia got a large cut of steak, a slice of cake, and a specialty milkshake.

"Here are your drinks," the waitress said as she handed us our drinks, "I'll return when your food is ready." As I was about to drink, Filia panicked a bit, and Samson slapped her a bit with a tendril.

Curiously, I asked, "What's the matter Filia?"

"I forgot to ask for a second straw," she said glancing around, and when I gave her an odd look, she pointed at Samson.

I handed her mine, which I hadn't used yet, "That explains the two straws in the milkshake when I first saw you."

"Hey, you think you can get me a real drink?" Samson asked, poking me slightly with an 'arm'. "C'mon bud! Help a buddy out!" As the waitress passed, I got her attention with a small wave.

She asked if I needed anything, "Yeah, what do you have on draft?" As she listed off brands, I felt a prod from Samson, and ordered the one he poked me on. Upon asking for my ID, I showed it to her, and she nodded and handed it back without a question. A few minutes later, she showed up with a tall glass of the beer and set it next to me.

"You got your drink now, Samson, just don't get caught. We already look odd as it is, don't need them to find out we have two parasites and two people who should be dead eating here," I said to which Squigly nodded. Shortly after, our food showed up, Filia just cut the steak in half and raised it up slightly for Samson to grab, who began to devour it noisily. Filia was a bit more reserved, but far sloppier than what me and Squigly had grown up around. Squigly ate her meal daintily, and by the time I was halfway through my own, she was barely a quarter in. By this point, Filia needed to visit the 'facilities' as she put it, so it was just me and my old friend.

"You know, you're not at a fancy dinner, Squigs. Enjoy your food, not take it apart," I said with a laugh as I sliced a small chunk of meat and ate it.

"I'd eat faster if your father hadn't put these accursed stitches on my mouth," she said without opening her mouth while chewing. It freaked me out slightly, but I had to remember she uses Leviathan to talk.

"Huh... wish I could talk and eat at the same time," I said with a chuckle.

"You can, it would just be messy."

"Y'know what I mean," There was a pause of talking for a bit.

"This is nice Arcee."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"This is like when we were kids, you know, when we didn't have much to do besides piano lessons or opera practice."

"Well, you do remember what we joked about as kids, right?"

"Hmm.." She thought for a second, before lighting up, "You mean that silly thought of running off together, leaving family behind?"

"Heh, yeah. Hell, we're halfway there, right?"

She smirked, but either was about to answer, or didn't, because Leviathan spoke up from inside her head, "Quit flirting you two, we have a major issue to take care of."

Squinting in a vain attempt to remember, I shook my head, "I haven't the slightest..."

"Skullgirl," Leviathan answered.

"But... she destroyed Medici Tower, right?"

"That may be true, but she wouldn't have become the skullgirl if her heart was pure," Squigly stated.

With a nod and a chew of the steak, "So, how do we stop her?"

"First thing we need to do is find her," Leviathan said, and just as he did, Filia and Samson returned.

Samson chuckled, "While you were having a date at the docks, we heard where the skullgirl goes to when not destroying things."

Ignoring his statement, I got up, "Well, what're we waiting for? We got some food, we got info, lets go kick some unholy ass!"

"What about the food?" Filia asked sheepishly. Slightly put off by her question, I stumble forward.

Waving at the employee at the front of the restaurant, "Can we get some to go boxes here? We need..." I look back and see that we all have things, "Three!" Squigly shakes her head no, so Samson snaps up the leftover hamburger. "Make that two boxes!"

[9:26 PM]

Armed with a case of money, two boxes of food, three 'teens' ready to fight, a draconic parasite ready to get his blood pumping, and a slightly inebriated hair monster, we were ready to take on this skullgirl.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7- The struggle

[9:48 PM]

Due to Filia's request, we stopped off at her apartment to drop off the case of money and the food we had left over. I nearly declined, but I really didn't want to risk my case popping open in a grand fight and cash flying everywhere.

"Why are we at a cathedral again?" I asked, slightly jittery.

Samson sighed, "Some weirdo came up and attacked Filia earlier, apparently she was a friend of hers before this whole amnesia business. She ran off after mentioning something about the cathedral and skullgirls."

"So you don't know if the skullgirl is here," I asked flatly.

"I didn't say that!"

"But you implied it."

"The little freak said 'something something Skullgirl at Cathedral something something'."

"Calling something a freak when you're just talking hair? How rude."

At the giggles and chuckles of the others, Samson huffed, "Let's not make this about me, lets just go inside." Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door, and almost instantly regretted it. One large statue was present in the center, depicting some large freakish humanoid thing.

_That thing always creeped me out._ Inside was this one girl who was fairly squat with a large set of blades on some contraption attached to her back, and nails sticking out of her body. She wore a mask that obscured most of her face. Next to her was a nurse in _VERY _revealing clothing, with blue hair, an eye-patch and a surgical mask. Then there was a nun. Just a simple nun.

"Another failed experiment, time to shut you down Painwheel," the nurse said causally. The girl in front of her simply gripped her head.

Filia ran forward, "Leave her alone!" Painwheel looked up and saw her friend showed up and seemed happy. (at least as much as she could with that mask on) She stumbled and almost fell over, so I ran over and grabbed her.

"Woah there, careful," I said calmly, letting her lean on me, "Lets get you out of here." I gave Filia a nod while helping Painwheel out.

[9:58 PM]

Getting outside I set her down upon a bench, letting her rest.

"You okay?"

"(mumble...)"

"I'm sorry? What was that?"

"(mumble...)"

"I don't speak 'mumblies', gonna need you to speak a bit more clearly."

"You... You aren't afraid?"

"Afraid? Of what? This church? Hell yeah, it's terrifying, have you _SEEN _that statue?"

"Of... of me. I-I'm a monster," she said as she picked at the mask on her face.

I chuckled, "I'm not much better. Hell, up until noon today, I've been dead for fourteen years." She simply looked at me, and I sighed. Getting up, I took off my shirt some, so she could see the gaping hole in my chest.

"Had a girl call me 'Cold-hearted' one time, guess I could put a few icecubes in there and it'll be true!" she stared blankly at me. "Hmm..." I turned around, showing the box thing on my back, "I've heard of Life-Support, but this is ridiculous!" Nothing.

_Tough crowd._

"These are the jokes here, people," I said sadly, "Spend fourteen years to make undead puns and what do I get? Dead air." She gave a scoff at that one. I happily sat down next to her, "Got something outta ya, I'll take it!" As she sat there, I looked at the blade device that jutted out of her back. Four individual blades that attached at a central point. On that attachment point, I saw a familiar icon. A heart with the likeness of a skull that is crossed out.

"Hey... You have that same icon," she turned to look at me, and I _carefully_ angled the blades so she could see the icon.

"Oh... that, it means Anti-Skullgirl Labs, or Lab Zero. They kidnapped me... some time ago, and made me into this," she said sadly.

"Oh, touchy subject," I said quickly, "Well, my name is Arcenel, may I ask for yours?"

"Carol," she said quietly, "But now they call me 'Painwheel'"

I gave a curt laugh, "And I thought my puns were bad." She shook her head some, and tried pulling her mask off again. I noticed a small latch, and helped her get it off.

"Alright, well, I'm gonna go back in there. If I'm supposed to be Anti-Skullgirl, or whatever, might as well do that then," I said as I stood up, she said something that I didn't catch. "What was that?"

"Thanks."

"Oh, no problem. I'll be back later, so uh... don't go anywhere." She waved me off, and I ran back into the church.

[10:07 PM]

Seeing the nurse on the ground passed out, and the nun and my friends nowhere to be seen, I looked around. There was a staircase where a strange blue light was glowing from, so I might as well check that out. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, I found my friends standing in front of a little girl floating in the air with bones and skulls around her.

I walked up, "Skulls on a skullgirl. Never seen it coming."

"What took you so long? Die again on the way here?" Samson laughed out. Filia, Squigly, and Leviathan merely glanced in my direction.

"I was helping a poor child who had been wronged, excuse me for trying to help," I said sarcastically.

The skullgirl narrowed her eyes, "And who is this?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm just a deadbeat dead man here to help a few friends. Name's Arcenel, what's yours?"

"Arcenel. The same Arcenel that is the direct son of Lorenzo Medici himself!?" the skullgirl shouted.

I chuckled, "The very same, but I hate my father, so we have that in common, hot stuff." Receiving a glare from Squigly and the skullgirl herself (although she was already glaring at me) "What? She's literally hot stuff! Blue fire's pretty hot!"

"Pretty lame dude," Samson said flatly.

"I must agree, pretty bad," Leviathan stated.

Flailing my arms around, "Lets focus on my terrible humor later, lets get this done and call it a night."

Raising her hands, the skull girl shouted out in the catacombs, "Serve your new master!" Various skeletons and undead minions began to arrive, either from below or above.

"You two get them, I'll take care of the skullgirl!" Squigly shouted, receiving nods from Filia and I.

[10:15 PM]

Feeling the electricity pump through my body, I punched at a somewhat fleshy corpse that stepped toward my group. The electrical current flowed through it's body, and resulted in it exploding into a bunch of meaty chunks. Seeing this frightened me, but... made me feel strong.

_I JUST EXPLODED THAT DUDE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

Together, me and Filia took down legions of the evil undead, shattering them into little bits and pieces that bounced about. After noticing the same skeleton with a notched skull attacking us for the fifth time, I thought about something.

"Hey, Filia?"

She kicked a skeleton apart, "Yeah?"

"When we kill these things," I demonstrated by front-kicking one, then stomping on it's chest, "The bones just bounce down."

"So?" Samson blurted, "What's that matter?"

"If the bones bounce down, they are near other bones. More bones means more skeletons."

Filia and Samson looked at each other, then at the bones, "oooooooooohhh..."

"I think it's the skulls, break them apart, grab the skull, and crush it," I said as I grabbed that accursed notched skull and stomped on it, shattering it into powder. After that was decided, we made it through fairly easily. I turned around to check on Squigly only to have her go flying into me, butt first.

"I knew I wanted to get close to you, Sienna, but this is a little fast, don't you think?" I said jokingly as I helped her up. She dusted herself off, then slapped me across the face. The skullgirl wasn't fairing too well herself. She was just a bunch of bones floating around a little orb of blue and black fire. By herself, Squigly was having issues, but with the three of us... we still had trouble, but we got her down before too long.

[10:35 PM]

We did it. Skullgirl went on with some monologue (I think she was going on about how she knew the skull would result in her demise) and then she... faded away? No, she vaporized, that's burnt hair in the air. The heart floated in front of us. Filia looked at it, then looked away.

"I... know a bit more about myself than I did before. I can find out who I am with the help of Samson and Carol," she said as she looked towards us. The skull turned slightly towards me.

Shrugging, "I heard only girls can use this thing, if I took it, I'd just keep it as a lamp." I looked towards Squigly.

"The heart brings nothing but sadness," Squigly began, "So it must be destroyed." She pulled her arm back to punch it to oblivion, but the heart floated over to the nun from earlier, who was standing at the doorway.

"I regret to inform you that you cannot do this," she said as the heart floated around her.

A little weirded out by the nun, "Look, uh, we'll just break that thing and just get out of your hair." Her eyes opened, revealing that they glow red, and opening her mouth, her body turns inside out to reveal some large monstrosity.

"HOLY WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!?" I shout, the thing looked like the statue, "That's it, I'm done, good luck Squigs," I shake her hand, then go to Filia, and bow, "Hope you two make it out of this, and hope you have a prosperous life. I. AM. OUTTA. HE-" as I turn to leave, I run directly into the freaky creature and fall backwards.

"Foolish human! You will all be devoured in service to the trinity!" the creature yelled out of the various faces and mouths adorning it's figure.

I hopped up and rubbed all of my body that came in contact with it, "Eugh, I think I got some of it on me..." as I looked up, I saw that it had forced Squigly and Filia away into the staircase leading into the church, and the large stone door slid down, sealing the room.

"Now that you're all alone..." the creature's distorted voice muttered.

Backing away, "Y-you're looking to fight right? Not do bad things to me?"

"If that's what must be done."

"Can it not be?"

"Depends on how well you go down."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I go for a while."

"Ooh, that means we can have fun for plenty of rounds!"

I hit the wall, "I don't want you to catch whatever it is that I have. Undeath I've heard is contagious."

"I've shown you my bare self, nothing can stop me now..."

"C-can we stop the innuendos when you're like that?" it swapped into a form similar to Squigly's, but it was off.

"Delving into your psyche, this form appeals most to you," it taunted.

Taking a deep breath, then glaring at her, "I've never been much for religion, but if this is what it'll take to end all of this... _so be it!_" The device on my back wirred, and I felt a slight tingle as I prepared to fight. The fake Squigly came at me, then changed into a fake version of Carol, which once it got close, tried to slice me with her large blades. Hopping over her, I landed on the blade right after it stopped spinning, and stomped down, sending an electrical pulse through the ooze's body. The creature lost tension, and went back into it's freaky form, still weaving about from the shock.

_I've been in two fights so far._

The creature shook its 'head' to clear the daze.

_Each one was similar._

Shifting into the nurse from before, she crouched down.

_They would engage me._

I crouched down just slightly.

_Just need to wait._

Another surge of energy went through my body, followed by another. Glancing up, I noticed the sky was visible. She ran forward.

_Perfect._

Once she was in range, I punched forward, the electricity making my punch faster than she expected. My other arm pulled back, and I felt the tube shift, once I moved it over, the tube shot out and snagged her. Lifting my other arm, I tried to shift the energy from my back to the tube, which was now pointed straight up. Oddly, it wasn't just the electricity from my device. A loud crash of thunder, and a flash of lightning striking the tube, I twisted my arm to strike her with it.

Naturally, I followed up with another punch from my left, then back to my right, just sliding across the ground. Once I got her to the door, I pulled off a _sick_ uppercut, and launched her behind me. My right arm was still crackling with electrical goodness, so I let out a straight punch in her direction, and an arc of lightning shot over to her zapping her back into her natural form. I slid forward, grabbed her 'head' with my left arm.

"Y-you cannot... WIN!" a large tendril from her back shot forth, and carried me into the stone doorway. The rock cracked upon my impact, and a loud fizz and pop came from my back as I fell to the ground. As I lay there, broken beyond belief, she laughed.

"Foolish human! You should have given up as you did so long ago!" a foul sloshing sound rang out as she moved towards me. Carefully moving, I slowly stood up. The device was cracked, so I can't move too much more. Through the cracks in the door, I could hear Filia and Squigly shouting for me.

"You dare stand against me once more!?" the creature yelled.

I lifted an arm, and a tube weakly weaved through the cracks, "It's... what I'm supposed to do. Fight..." I let out a groan, "The good fight and all that... jazz." I slid back towards the door, flattening myself against it as best as I could.

"First I will devour you... then feast upon your accomplices," it said as it sloshed forward.

I smirked weakly, "Yeah yeah... go on your generic villain's monologue, I'll be right here." I pulled the tube from the box, and glanced inside. Whatever was inside it was gone now. The shapeshifter continued to blab off about the 'great plan' and all. I leaned over to the tube.

"Filia, Squigly. Pull this," I said as quietly as I could, but I felt it get pulled on tightly. Seeing as how it was still connected through my arm, it pulled me up against the door. I steadied my breathing, and as the changer finished it looked at me.

"Any last requests, before I send you to the depths of hell, heathen?"

Mocking thinking, I smiled, "Just one. YANK!" Filia, Samson, Squigly, and Leviathan all pulled on the pipe. The size of impact (myself) against the cracked door proved too strong for it to hold against, and the door crumpled inwards, allowing Filia and Squigly to take control of the show.

"Woah, dude, you look like shit!" Samson shouted as he saw how busted up I appeared.

Groaning, I sat up a bit, leaning against the rocks, keeping my back as flat as possible, "Girls, I have one thing for you two. FUCK HER _SHIT _UP_!_" With that, I let my eyes close, and everything went quiet.

_I lived for a little more than ten hours... not bad for being dead for fourteen years, eh?_


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8- Ooh, aftershocks!

[TIME UNKNOWN]

Feeling something poke you isn't a good way to wake up. Feeling something sharp wake you makes it feel less like something is trying to wake you up, instead, it's like keep you asleep. A few more pokes later, I finally heard a voice.

"Arcee... -ke up!" whoever it was, gave me a shake, then gasped as my back gave off a snap, crack, and a pop for good measure.

"Sa-...-on, pick hi-... -fully, try and cl-... ...on his back," I felt something... lukewarm, wrap around my body, and straighten my back. Things became a little more clearer, sounds, memories.

Pain.

All of it hit me like a wave, and letting out a groan, the little group I had around me gasped. As I felt Samson's grip loosen, I squirmed.

"Don't... you fucking dare..." I gasped out, pain still filling my brain for much else. Samson's arm moved a bit, and let my feet touch the ground, but stayed around my waist. Taking a second to glance around, I noticed Squigly, Leviathan, and Filia were looking at me with concern. Samson would be, but I snapped at him, so he wasn't very happy at the moment.

"I... I assume that nun bitch is gone?" I grunted out, and Filia nodded.

She looked over to where the heart now floats, "We figured you would want to do something with it, since you nearly took Double down by yourself."

I pointed at it, "To me." The girls looked at me oddly, until it started to move to me. "Felt like something I could do..." Grabbing the black skull, I glared at it's hollow sockets. Closing my eyes, I felt a small shudder from the device as a jolt ran up my arm. My hand closed, and with it, the skull shattered. Beside me, Squigly yawned, glancing at her, I saw her skin losing hue.

"N-not even going to say goodbye, Squigly?" I said with a small chuckle.

Weakly, she uttered, "I'll see you later Arcee..."

"See you tomorrow, Squigs." Leviathan's head lowered shortly after, the Skull Heart's power having left the vicinity. I opened my hand, and saw five black shards just laying in my palm. My back tingled slightly.

"I know how I'm alive..." I muttered as I shifted slightly. Filia looked at me oddly as I waved Samson off a bit. I moved my hand with the shards towards the object on my back. They shot into the crack of the device, and with a surge of flame, the device was repaired, along with the pipe from my left arm being back into position.

"What was that?" Filia asked, watching me stretch carefully.

"My machine... it's powered by a fragment of the Skull Heart, how old, I don't know. As I held those few shards... my back tingled with energy," still tired from the whole ordeal, I stretched. "Let's get Carol and get out of here." I went over to Squigly's body, and lifted her up, and draped her over my shoulder.

_I'll give you a real burial, like to truly deserve. _

As we walked into the church's main room, I saw the nurse lady looking around. When she saw me, her eyes (the visible one anyway) widened and she got up and ran off into the night. We walked out the doors, and we saw Carol with her mask back on, crouched down.

"C-carol... it's fine, it's just us. Lets go get some well deserved sleep," I said as I passed by her, resting my free hand on her shoulder, then pulling the latch that held her mask.

"Don't do that, it scares me when it just falls off like that," she said as she followed behind us, and we made our way to Filia's apartment in silence.

A few days later, Filia and I stood under a tree in the park. In front of us was a headstone, that read 'Here lies Sienna 'Squigly' Contiello and Leviathan. May they rest in piece until we meet again.' We stood there in quiet contemplation, even Samson stood there as well.

"She finally got the rest she deserved," I said quietly.

Filia nodded, "When we meet her again, it will be nice."

"If we meet her again, it'll mean another skullgirl, and another one of those means another Double."

"There may be a way to let her live forever, if we get her one of those devices you have."

I shook my head, "It requires parts of a Skull Heart, and taking too much damage takes away from the fragment. It's too inefficient."

"I... I have something I need to talk to you about though. It's something Double said after you blacked out."

Grabbing her shoulder reassuringly, "Go ahead and speak, get it done with now before we forget."

"Double said I was a Medici, by blood," she looked away, "Who could I be related to?"

I looked down, "Either Alberto or Vitale. I don't remember that old fart having any kids though." She didn't say anything, but I chuckled a bit. "Glad to see that fourteen years later, I did finally do the second half of that day." I began to move forward, "Come along, we still have some stuff to do, such as getting Carol reacquainted with people."

Filia smiled, "She seemed pretty fine in class today."

"You kidding me?" I shot her a look, "That toothy smile is horrifyingly adorable."

When we got to Filia's apartment, which after some investigation really was her home, she just didn't have her parents around for whatever reason, I looked around for some old photos. Finding one of her father, with her mother and herself, I placed it into a frame and put it on a shelf. I looked around some more, and found a really old picture of myself at ten, Alberto at fourteen, and Vitale at seventeen, all happy and full of smiles. Folding the picture to exclude Vitale, I placed it into a frame and put that on the shelf, next to Filia's pictures.

Filia took the chance to speak up from the kitchen, "So, what are we going to do next? Fight off the Medici family, earn vengeance for the Contiellos? Storm Lab Zero and stop their terrible expieriments?"

"I've been dead for fourteen years, I'm gonna live for a little while before getting back in death's path," I said with a laugh. I looked over to the picture that just showed Alberto and I.

_I'll find you eventually Alberto. Dead, Alive, Undead, even. You can count on that._

[END OF ACT 1]

* * *

That's all for now people! It'll be a while before I can get more up. Feel free to leave some reviews and such. Thanks for reading up to this point everyone!


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